The Purchasing Managers Index, a monthly study by the Institute of Applied Research at Cal State San Bernardino, came in at 54.0 November, a sharp drop from 61.3 measure for the previous month. Seen here, a worker drills into a large bus rapid transit shelter at Tolar Manufacturing Company, Inc., in Corona. (Stan Lim, SCNG)

The Golden State got last-place rankings for its high driving costs and poor quality of driving, according to a tally from Bankrate.com. The financial website said California’s ranked poorly because of its high percentage of bad roads, long commutes and high rates of theft and fatal crashes. (File: Photo by Bruce Chambers, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Irvine-based CIP Real Estate has sold Center Tower Riverside, a five-story, 73,645-square-foot Class A office building in downtown Riverside, for $20.66 million to De Anza Land and Leisure Corp. from Montclair. (Courtesy of NKF)

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors in Corona del Mar has arranged the $13 million sale of a new single-tenant property occupied by LA Fitness in Temecula. Hanley’s Senior Associate Austin Blodgett and Executive Vice President Eric Wohl represented the seller, an undisclosed developer based in Irvine. (Courtesy of Hanley Investment Group)

Hayneedle, an online retailer that sells outdoor-style furniture and other home goods and is owned by Wal-Mart, has given $5,000 to a Riverside charity that helps troubled teens. Hayneedle operates a fulfillment center in Riverside’s Sycamore Canyon area and is part of a Walmart program that encourages community grants to local entities as they see fit.
The grant will go to Operation Safehouse, which offers shelter to teenage runaways. (Courtesy of Hayneedle)

Inland Empire factories are about to wrap up their second straight year of growth, although the pace of this expansion declined in November, according to recently released data.

The Purchasing Managers Index, a monthly study by the Institute of Applied Research at Cal State San Bernardino, came in at 54.0 November, a sharp drop from 61.3 measure for the previous month. The study, which measures production, sales and employment levels at about 30 Inland factories, has been above 50 — the level that suggests expansion — for 23 consecutive months.

Two of the three most important categories, new orders and production, fell significantly in November but are still expanding, albeit at a slower pace. The third key segment, employment, declined but the fall-off was marginal.

Barbara Sirotnik, director of the Cal State SB institute, said in a statement the slower growth was probably because many manufacturers had completed the work that had to be done specifically for the holiday season and now are easing off somewhat.

“The dip this month just means that the growth is slowing somewhat,” Sirotnik wrote. “These declines were not unexpected.”

The manufacturing sector employed an estimated 100,500 Inland workers in October, according to a state report, a 2.3 percent increase since October 2017.

Despite the sustained growth, more than one in five factory executives who responded to this survey said they believe the region’s economy will weaken during the next quarter. That is the loudest note of pessimism in almost two years, although 25 percent say the growth spurt will continue.

Bud Weisbart, owner of A&R Tarpaulins, a Fontana company whose customer base runs from consumers looking to cover their vehicles and boats to the aerospace industry that needs to protect sensitive components, said he’s optimistic his business can finish 2018 with a rush.

“Things have picked up significantly,” Weisbart said. “Unemployment is down so a lot of people have more disposable resources.”

Weisbart added that a decline in some of the regulations businesses have faced has reduced what some of his customers see as risk. This makes them more aggressive in their purchasing, he said.

The downside of that is that the easing of regulations could be causing some customers to be more cautious, due to possible liability issues, Weisbart said.

California ranks dead last for driving

Would it surprise you to learn California ranks No. 1 for the worst drivers in the U.S.?

The Golden State got last-place rankings for its high driving costs and poor quality of driving, according to a tally from Bankrate.com.

The financial website said California’s ranked poorly because of its high percentage of bad roads, long commutes and high rates of theft and fatal crashes.

Hawaii, Connecticut, New Jersey and Washington rounded out the bottom five states for worst driving conditions.

Here’s how Bankrate broke down California’s ranking:

Average annual auto insurance premium: $1,731

Percentage of road miles in poor condition: 44%

Average commute time: 29 minutes

Motor vehicle theft rate (among 1,000 residents): 426

So who wins for best driving conditions? States with lots of wide open spaces: North Dakota was No. 1 followed by Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota and Nebraska.

Drive safely, folks.

— Samantha Gowen

Chino Hills building sells

An industrial building in Chino Hills has been bought by a leading manufacturer of technology accessories for $15.9 million, according to a statement from Newcastle Partners, the developer and seller.

The 100,326-square-foot building, known as the Chino Hills Commerce Center on Fairfield Ranch Road, was sold to TP-Link USA Corp., which makes consumer products such as routers, range extenders, switches and network adapters.

TP-Link USA will use the facility to anchor its Inland Empire operations and expand capacity from its current location in Brea.

Newcastle Partners said it currently has more than 2 million square feet of industrial space in the Inland Empire either under development or in pre-development.

Riverside building sells for $20.6M

One of downtown Riverside’s bigger office buildings, Center Tower Riverside, has been sold for $20.66 million, according to the brokerage Newmark Knight Frank, which represented the buyer.

The five-story, 73,645 square-foot building was bought by Montclair-based De Anza Land and Leisure Corp.

The building, at 3880 Lemon Street near Ninth Street, was sold by Irvine-based CIP Real Estate, which was represented by CBRE.

Center Tower is 94 percent occupied, with 11 tenants that include Best Best & Kreiger, Reid & Hillyer, Riverside County, and Index Fresh.

According to the statement, the 31-year-old building underwent $3 million in renovations that were completed last year, including improvements to the lobby, elevators and landscaping.

Temecula retail space sells for $13M

A Temecula retail location completed this year, home to an LA Fitness, has been sold for $13 million, according to Hanley Investment Group, which represented the seller.

The single-tenant building, at 29920 Temecula Parkway, was sold by an unnamed private developer from Irvine. The buyer is an unnamed family trust from Los Angeles. According to the statement, LA Fitness has a 15-year lease on the 37,000-square-foot-building, with renewal options.

R&L Properties-Cerritos, of Corona, represented the buyer.

Remodeled BofA center opens

Bank of America formally opened its newly remodeled Redlands Financial Center with a ceremony on Dec. 13. The center is at 305 East State Street, and Mayor Paul Foster led the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Bank of America invested in renovations that included new layouts, furniture, technology and conference rooms.

The facility’s staff advises clients in financial planning, lending, small business development and other matters.

Pardee helps the homeless

HomeAid Inland Empire and Carol’s Kitchen are the two focuses of Pardee Homes’ annual Holiday Giving program. Each year since 2002, residential property developer Pardee Homes has selected Inland Empire nonprofits that need help to make the holidays better for people in need.

This year, Pardee’s Inland Empire team served Thanksgiving meals to the homeless at Carol’s Kitchen in Beaumont and assembled more than 200 “care kits” for homeless veterans that will be distributed by HAIE.

Pardee’s Inland Empire regional office is located in Corona.

Walmart gives $5K to shelter

Hayneedle, an online retailer that sells outdoor-style furniture and other home goods and is owned by Wal-Mart, has given $5,000 to a Riverside charity that helps troubled teens.

Hayneedle operates a fulfillment center in Riverside’s Sycamore Canyon area and is part of a Walmart program that encourages community grants to local entities as they see fit.

The grant will go to Operation Safehouse, which offers shelter to teenage runaways.

$150,000 for children’s hospital

Farmer Boys, the Riverside-based fast-casual restaurant chain, has raised $150,000 in its annual charity drive to help Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital. This is the highest amount raised for the hospital through Farmer Boys since the restaurant began its campaign in 2000.

The money, which is raised through donations from customers, employees, and restaurant owners, will help fund Loma Linda’s new Children’s Tower, part of LLUCH’s Vision 2020 campaign.

Karen Eadon, Farmer Boys’ president and COO, presented the check to the hospital Dec. 10.

Status Update is compiled by Inland Empire business reporter Jack Katzanek and edited by Business Editor Samantha Gowen. Submit items to jkatzanek@scng.com or sgowen@scng.com. High-resolution images also can be submitted. Allow at least one week for publication. Items are edited for length and clarity.